A Missouri man who killed a Westchester County soldier 46 years ago with his own gun is set to be released on parole, despite attempts to put him behind bars.
69-year-old Anthony Blanks may leave Sing Sing as soon as October 18 After completing a community reintegration program, the state’s Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said.
Blanks was convicted of first-degree murder and possession of a weapon after the manslaughter. Larchmont Officer Arthur DeMatte With his service gun in 1976.
The 20-year-old police veteran was trying to clear blanks from the New Haven Railroad track after receiving a call from someone interfering with trains.
Blanks approached DeMatte, grabbed his gun and fled, but when police began chasing the criminal, shot the officer in the chest.
Blanks, who had moved from New York City to the city of Westchester after arriving from St. Louis several days earlier in search of a job, hid in nearby bushes, leaving empty service weapons in a police car, lohud.com reported. Retaliatory officers shot him in the leg and arrested him.
Transient later said that he had not eaten anything in two days and was high on PCP at the time of the murder.
Blanks was sentenced to life imprisonment for 25 years. He became eligible for parole in 2001, but remained behind bars for the next 21 years, due to strong opposition from Demat’s surviving family and the Larchmont Police Union.
Larchmont PBA President Officer Dan Calapai told LoHood that Blanks’ release from prison could be the result of the state’s switch from parole hearings to every nine months instead of the traditional two years. He said more frequent hearings have made it difficult for those opposing parole to express their concerns in a timely manner.
“Our feeling is certainly that this is politically driven and that it is failing the families of the victims,” Calapai said.
Clifford Jackson, a Larchmont man who began fellowship with Blanks three years earlier, wrote to the parole board in support of Blanks’ release, claiming that the police killer was no longer a “threat to society.”
“(The police) were looking for him to rot in prison … that this is a punitive action designed to destroy the person under any circumstances,” Jackson said. “He’s no threat. He’s going to struggle to survive. It’s going to be hard for him to just get out of bed.”
Jackson argued that while Blanks is not free of guilt, he paid his debt and showed remorse. He said that the condition of the old criminal is bad.
Blanks’ parole interview tapes obtained by Lohud in recent years show he has not secured housing and has limited family support.